MEd Program Diigo Group

Strategies to help struggling readers. Instructional approach for decoding, letter and word recognition, and involving parents and other support services like tutors and reading specialist.

This is a great resource for technology integration. The sites listed are easily adaptable across subject areas. This would be a good tool for differentiation and for teaching to different learning styles. I particularly like the ReadWriteThink site and the Screencast-o-matic. The ReadWriteThink site allows students to demonstrate knowledge, and the Screencast-o-matic seems like a great tool to create sub plans!

This blog was very interesting and reminded me of tools I haven't looked at or thought to use in my classroom. I could see using Google Earth for students to have an interactive adventure through history. Also, I envisioned myself using the Screencast-o-matic, Quzziz, and Formative with my students.

This is a great article about the late famed educator, Marva Collins, who advocated for less technology and more focus on non-tech problem solving. While not an opponent of using technology, she largely based her outstanding success with children on the following precept: "Though children are exposed to technology (a biology software program is used with four- and five-year-olds, for instance), it is secondary to other lessons. 'I think what most of us fail to understand is there are steps in life,' Collins explains. 'We try to teach children that you cannot skip from step 1 to step 10.'"

This article addresses the impact of praise on students. It is most often considered motivational and effective, but depending on its use, can do more harm than good. Willingham writes of several stipulations for effective praise. It should be sincere and spontaneous, earned, and focus on process, not ability. Several studies are described to demonstrate a link between praise and motivation. It can produce greater interest in an activity, which may be quickly lost if praise is no longer present. As students mature, they are more likely to consider the implications of praise. If it is given for a menial task, or a task in which the student has not done quality work, they tend to feel that the teacher requires or expects less of them, which speaks to their perception of potential personal success. Willingham writes, "by not criticizing substandard work, the teacher implicitly says, "i believe that you are not capable of anything better". The effects of praise are also affected by student resilience. If a student believes that his current ability can not be improved, then a failure to solicit praise is corroboration of his lack of intelligence. A student who believes abilities can be strengthened, may see it as a sign that he should keep working. In considering how motivation impacts assessment grades, we must keep in mind that it is possible for motivation to transcend the activity itself. Praise and other teacher interactions can play an important role in shaping the learning attitudes of students as well.

This is an AWESOME article for our group! Motivation is a key element in our exploratory question and praise can play an important role. What I found interesting is that praise can be good or bad for student motivation purely based on how and when it is used. Some of the situations were fairly obvious, such as being sincere with the praise especially with the older kids. I know my students know when they put forth effort so it would be damaging to praise them when they have not. The element that I found to be surprising was the suggestion to complement the "process, not ability." I have been guilty of praising finished products rather than how the work was done.

Week 8 This reading selection is for Honors High school Biology students learning about Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. It is an article from CSA Discovery Guides by Deborah M. Whitman titled "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" released in 2000. The reading discusses what genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are, what the advantages and criticisms are, how prevalent GM crops are, what plants are involved, and how GM food are regulated and labeled. The assignment for this reading is to: 1. Read the article 2. Take notes on the pros and cons for the use of GMOs (Cornell Notes as part of my data action plan) 3. Choose a side (for /against) 4. Make a claim and justify that claim 5. Create a persuasive poster to support that claim. For differentiation, the article can be shortened and simplified for readers of different levels.

Week 7:Apyrl Poch describes different strategies in which teachers can present word problems to students. She discusses how representation is very important when teaching students how to solve different word problems. Incorporating these types of strategies in your instruction will help your students. This is important because it can help you teach your students how to solve different word problems. It gives the instructor different strategies to use in their classroom to reach success.

Week 7: This is a journal article based on reading behaviors, which emphasizes Daniel Willingham's arguments in the importance of building content knowledge. In reference to that, this journal discusses the effect background knowledge plays on comprehension of texts read. "The present study was designed to assess the role that background knowledge plays in determining young children's ability to process relationships that are explicitly and fully specified in a text in comparison to those that are only partially specified by the same text" (Pearson, 1979, pg. 201). This journal article stresses the relationship and connection that is made between texts and the reader based on background knowledge that has been built. This gives a great lens to see the effect of building such knowledge and seeing the benefits of it play out on the students.

Week 7 - This is an excellent article for second language teachers who want to be inclusive of all students through digital story telling. Dr. Vinogradova's personal experience affirms the importance of cultural identity integration using technology to achieve pedagogical goals. By Polina Vinogradova, Ph.D, Director of the TESOL Program, Department of World Languages and Cultures, American University....

Week 8 - This is an article on activating the working memory for learning. It offers strategies and suggestions of simple activities to exercise the brain on a daily basis in any content area.

Week 7- Investigates the use of word wall words and relating activities to improve reading fluency. The research also shares the word wall activities that were used as centers in the study. These activities could be easily incorporated into primary classrooms.

This book is a guide to help young girls get a better understanding of the changes that their bodies are going through. Girls get a straight forward explanation of issues they will encounter in a language that makes it easier for them to grasp.

This book is a guide to help young boys get a better understanding of the changes that their bodies are going through. Boys get a straight forward explanation of issues they will encounter in a language that makes it easier for them to grasp.

Week 7: We are always looking for new strategies for teaching fitness to our middle school students (the article focuses on students aged 13-19). Focuses not just on their physical ability but also their cognitive abilities. When we discussed this reading we all agreed when the article said " Be aware that many teenagers have a short attention span. Create variety to keep them excited and engaged. Circuits, boot camps, strength training and partner yoga are great choices for teens." We recently did a circuit workout that included all of those things. (Stevenson, 2013)

These segments get to the heart of the conceptual misunderstanding that teachers encounter when attempting to teach simple circuits. It demonstrates some instructional alternatives teachers can use.

This is an excellent design for a student-centered inquiry activity. I'd like to revise my introduction to circuits next year to work more like this.

How to make it easier for your students to write Expository Essays. Using a chunking method, including a step between brainstorming and writing called Piling, students are able to build up to writing Expository Essays. Kristine and Danica

Week 7: This book maybe outdated for some versions of Inventor, however, Chapter 2: Sketching, Constraining, and Dimensioning, is a great read for students and teachers that are having issues with the different geometric constraints. It shows all the symbols, with descriptions of what they are, for the constrains and how to use them. It can also give teachers a better understanding on how to teach the different constraints.